Foothill Antwren

About the Foothill Antwren

The foothill stipplethroat (Epinecrophylla spodionota), previously called the foothill antwren, is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

The foothill stipplethroat was described by the English ornithologists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin in 1880 and given the binomial name Myrmotherula spodionota. Based on genetic and vocal studies it and seven other members of that genus were moved to the newly created genus Epinecrophylla. All were eventually named "stipplethroats" to highlight a common feature and to set them apart from Myrmotherula antwrens.

The foothill stipplethroat has two subspecies, the nominate E. s. spodionota (Sclater & Salvin, 1880) and E. s. sororia (von Berlepsch & Stolzmann, 1894). The foothill stipplethroat is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs 9 to 10.5 g (0.32 to 0.37 oz). Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a mostly gray face and a black throat with white spots. They have a brown-tinged dark gray crown and back, a dark reddish yellow-brown rump, and a dark brown tail and flight feathers. Their... Wikipedia →